El Kurru has long been known to archaeologists as the location of a pyramid cemetery for the kings and queens of ancient Kush who conquered and ruled Egypt as its 25th Dynasty (ca. 750-650 BCE). A Kelsey Museum project begun there in 2013 aimed to investigate the wider area for remains of an ancient settlement whose existence was hinted at in the original excavator’s field notebooks. The results have been surprising and have opened up new possibilities both in research on ancient settlement in Kush and in working with local communities to understand and present its heritage.

In this talk, University of Michigan members of the archaeological team will present an overview of the last five field seasons.